Dogfight (1991)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Nancy Savoca

Writer (WGA):

Bob Comfort (written by)

Release Date:

October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

1963, the night before the 18 years old "Birdlace" Eddie and his friends are shipped to Vietnam. They...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | San Francisco California | Loss | Contest | Hippie

Cast

River Phoenix	...	Eddie Birdlace
Lili Taylor	...	Rose
Richard Panebianco	...	Berzin
Anthony Clark	...	Oakie
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Benjamin
Holly Near	...	Rose Sr.
Elizabeth Daily	...	Marcie (as E.G. Daily)
Sue Morales	...	Ruth Two Bears
Christina Mastin	...	Linda
Christopher Shaw	...	Donavin
John Lacy	...	Fector
Chris San Nicholas	...	Dogfight Buddy
Brian Gotta	...	Dogfight Marine
Peg Phillips	...	Older Cafe Customer
Neal Allen	...	Sgt. Judge
Ron Lynch	...	LCpl. Judge
Dale Garman	...	Restaurant Maitre d'
Bruce Pearson	...	Walter
Angie Utt	...	Thrift Shop Woman
Kenneth Utt	...	Thrift Shop Man (as Kenny Utt)
Julian Schembri	...	Navy Bill
Barb Benedetti	...	Alice
Ivars Mikelson	...	Bob
Brendan Fraser	...	Sailor #1 (as Brendon Fraser)
Matt Skerritt	...	Sailor #2
Dion Williams	...	Older Brother on Bus
Jason Moore	...	Younger Brother on Bus
Denise Williams	...	Mother on Bus
Kristie Gamer	...	Pretty Girl
David MacIntyre	...	Bartender (as Dave McIntyre)
Art Cahn	...	Bar Owner
Robert Munns	...	'50s drinker (as Bob Munns)
Jessica Wallenfels	...	Arcade Girl (as Jessica Wallenfells)
Bonnie Fox	...	Arcade Hooker
Sandra Ellis Lafferty	...	Crying Woman
Joseph Franklin	...	Crying Customer
Frank Walters	...	Newscaster
Jacob Luft	...	Neighborhood Boy
Constance McCord	...	Dogfight Waitress
Laura Vetter	...	Truckstop Waitress
Krisha Fairchild	...	Truckstop Cook
George Evans	...	Bus Driver
Jillian Armenante	...	Girl on Street
Anne Elizabeth Washburn	...	Friend of Girl on Street
John Fry	...	Marine on Bus
Albert Farrar	...	Corpsman
Rafael Orozco	...	Hippie (as Raf Orozco)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Berg	...	PX Marine (uncredited)
Dale Carman	...	Maitre 'd (uncredited)
Joe James	...	Sailor (voice) (uncredited)
Dewayne Luckett	...	Sailor #3 (uncredited)

Directed by
Nancy Savoca

Writing credits (WGA)
Bob Comfort		(written by)

Produced by
Richard Guay	....	producer
Peter Newman	....	producer
Cathleen Summers	....	executive producer
Llewellyn Wells	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mason Daring

Cinematography by
Bobby Bukowski

Film Editing by
John Tintori

Casting by
Marion Dougherty

Production Design by
Lester Cohen		(as Lester W. Cohen)

Art Direction by
Daniel Talpers

Set Decoration by
Jessica Lanier

Costume Design by
Eugenie Bafaloukos

Makeup Department
Sheryl Berkoff	....	key makeup artist
Robaire Charbonneau	....	assistant hair stylist
Angela Nogaro	....	assistant makeup artist
Gordon J. Smith	....	special makeup effects (as Gordon Smith)
Jenny Stolee	....	special makeup effects
Bill Sturgeon	....	special makeup effects
Mimi Vodnoy	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Steven Stoke	....	post-production supervisor
Llewellyn Wells	....	unit production manager
Mark Yellen	....	production manager: San Francisco unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Kostenko Jr.	....	second assistant director (as Frank Kosteko)
Elisa Sansalone	....	second second assistant director
J. Miller Tobin	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Keith Bergman	....	construction coordinator: Chinatown sequence
Loren Corney	....	construction coordinator
Kirk Corwin	....	property master
Matthew Ebert	....	on-set dresser
Matthew Ebert	....	set dresser
John Harrington	....	assistant property master
Teresa Mastropierro	....	scenic artist
Kenneth Milfred	....	lead man (as Ken Milford)
Michael Perman	....	set decorator: Chinatown sequence
Phillip Schneider	....	scenic artist
Sarah Stollman	....	set designer
Suellyn Tackitt	....	set decorator: Chinatown sequence
Alun Vick	....	construction foreman
Gilbert Wong	....	art director: Chinatown sequence

Sound Department
Stuart Emanuel	....	sound editor
Mark Goodermote	....	boom operator
Neil L. Kaufman	....	sound editor
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr editor (as Lisa Levine)
Tim Squyres	....	supervising sound editor
John Sutton	....	sound mixer
Peter Waggoner	....	sound re-recording engineer

Special Effects by
Ray Brown	....	special effects
Bob Riggs	....	special effects (as Bobby Riggs)

Stunts
David Boushey	....	stunt coordinator (as Dave Boushey)
Joe Finnegan	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Scott Leyse	....	stunts
Kevin Leise	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark L. Anderson	....	third assistant camera
Katherine M. Butler	....	second assistant camera
John Cardoni	....	rigging gaffer
Charley Gilleran	....	best boy grip
Jim Grce	....	gaffer
Christopher Hall	....	best boy electric
Victor Korte	....	dolly grip
Chris Lombardi	....	first assistant camera (as Cris Lombardi)
Bob Marshak	....	still photographer
Ivan H. Migel	....	grip
Thaddeus Wadleigh	....	key grip

Casting Department
Susan Dixon	....	casting: Seattle
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Elizabeth Yoffe	....	casting: Seattle

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laurie Hudson	....	costume supervisor
Nancy Konrardy	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Jolie Gorchov	....	assistant editor
Tim Squyres	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jeffrey Kimball	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Robert T. Chestnut	....	transportation captain
Jon McCarthy	....	transportation coordinator
Ed Ramos	....	transportation captain: San Francisco
Mike Sassen	....	driver

Other crew
David Bockmann	....	stand-in: River Phoenix
Jennifer Campbell	....	assistant production coordinator
Mary Cybulski	....	script supervisor
Mitchell E. Dauterive	....	production coordinator
Dale Dye	....	military consultant (as Capt. Dale Dye)
Tony Grob	....	assistant location manager
Mark Haslett	....	production assistant
Robert Jarzen	....	adr loop group
Kerri Kroll	....	production secretary
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Tasha Le Mel	....	production aide
Michael Leon	....	location manager
Mitchell Nyberg	....	production assistant
Brian Russo	....	production assistant
Frank Simeone	....	additional crew
Mike Stokey	....	assistant military consultant (as Sgt. Mike Stokey)
Mira Tweti	....	unit publicist

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (1992) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1996) (2001) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1998) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Eastern Optical EFX  titles and opticals
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Lake Union Cafe  catering
• Temptu  tattoos
• White Light Casting  casting: seattle

Runtime:

89 min | 94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:S | Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Trivia:

To prepare to play the Four B's, a close group of marines, River Phoenix (Birdlace), Richard Panebianco (Berzin), Mitchell Whitfield (Benjamin), and Anthony Clark (Oakie) were sent for a week of simulated boot camp, run by retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain Dale Dye.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The picture of Bob Dylan that Rose points out on her wall was taken in 1964, while the scene takes place in 1963.

Quotes:

Rose: What's a 'jarhead'?
Eddie Birdlace: Oh, that's just what we call ourselves. You see, i'm a United States marine. It's okay if we say it but if a squid say's it, you know, a sailor? then it's fist city. But it's alright if a, if a woman say's it... especially if she can sing as good as you can.
Rose: Thanks. Thanks very much. Jarhead.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Night in the Life of Vinyl Eddie (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

SINCE I FELL FOR YOU

Love story, Vietnam bound Marine & a hip '60's San Francisco anti-war girl.

Dogfight captures the feelings of the mid to late 1960's in San Francisco. It accurately shows the characteristics of young U.S. Marines destined for Vietnam. They are insensitive and cruel to the young women they invite to the 'Dogfight' because of their youth and the situation they find themselves in as G.I.'s. Being in the Air Force during this period I could relate to their crudeness as a posture taken by some young men as a defense against their environment. Being insensitive was a way to deal with their situation over which they had little control. The movie also accurately portrayed how young G.I.'s bond with other young guys who in civilian life they might not have bothered to befriend.

The love story involves a girl invited to the 'Dogfight' (a contest to see who could bring the ugliest girl) and the young Marine who brings her. She breaks through his shell of indifference and they become friends and lovers.

Lilly Taylor and River Phoenix are terrific. Their characters ring true and my wife and I cared very much about what happened to them.

Phoenix's return to S.F. after his tour in Vietnam was just as I experienced it. Although I was not returning from overseas when I returned the Bay Area in 1969, I discovered that the San Francisco of 1965 was totally gone and replaced with a foreign land.

'Dogfight' is accurately nostalgic for those of my generation and perhaps older. Younger viewers get to enjoy a truly good love story. They also get a glimpse of life as a young G.I. during that uniquely explosive period of change and social upheaval in America during the middle to late 1960's.